I've had my new "hobby" up and running for a few months now. Generally, it is going very well and I haven't had too many problems. I put a stronger full spectrum light with more wattage on it and most of my plants are growing like gangbusters. I installed a more reliable heater and put in two powerheads. The soil under the gravel seems to be working and it hasn't made a mess. There have been a few unfortunate fish deaths, but not many, and I have around 40 fish in the tank. I think I could add a few more, but everyone is happy, so I'm not going to mess with it. Besides, my platys had a few babies! There are two that have survived the wild world of big fish and hide almost all the time. One is featured in the video below (a little out of focus). It is really small with gigantic eyes. Some of my favorite fish are my clown loaches. These were a little tough to keep happy at first. Two died, and I got two more and they are doing really well. They are very shy but interact with each other a lot, and almost have a little personality. I have a snail population explosion going on, and am in the process of culling the herd. The loaches eat baby snails, but just cannot keep up with the little hermaphroditic egg layers.
In the video you'll notice the water looks a little green. My filter that I got with the tank off craigslist is lame. The filter material clogs up quickly and I have to frequently buy new ones - from WalMart. I hate shopping at WalMart. So, I ordered a new canister filter that will be here on Thursday. It has very good reviews and should clear up the water quickly. I actually read that it will "polish" the water. We'll see. When I started this I was a little worried about the time commitment for a 55 gallon fish tank, but it has been totally manageable. Besides, Charlotte and Elise love sitting in their high chairs and watching the fish.
It is nice to have a hobby besides astronomy. There just have not been clear nights lately. I would love to pull out my telescope and check out Mars and some winter sky stuff, but that darn El Niño!
I used my new Flip video camera for this and the flip video editing software - so no fancy iMovie stuff. It is basic and quick and works. Enjoy!
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